1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to billing telephone calls and, more particularly, to a method and system for billing telephone calls made by a customer from a remote location as if the call were made from the customer's primary (e.g., home) telephone line.
2. Background
When a subscriber of the Public Switched Telephone Network ("PSTN") desires to make a long-distance telephone call away from his primary residence, he has several options: (1) He may dial the call directly; (2) He may use a wireless (e.g., cellular, PCS) telephone; (3) He may call the customer collect; or (4) He may use a calling card. If the subscriber dials directly, the call will be billed to the telephone line from which the call was placed. This billing situation is usually undesirable since it is unfair for the owner of the line to pay the extra costs associated with long distance telephone calls for the subscriber's benefit. Similarly, collect calls result in a person other than the subscriber (in this case, the called party) being billed for long-distance charges that they did not themselves incur. While wireless long-distance telephone calls result in the subscriber being billed, the expense of such calls usually does not justify their use. Moreover, many PSTN subscribers simply do not own or lease wireless telephones. Accordingly, the calling card has become the most popular mechanism for remote long-distance telephone calls.
A calling card is little more than a security code issued to a subscriber by a long-distance telephone company. The company issues the code on a plastic card containing the security code and a toll-free access telephone number. When the subscriber wants to make a long-distance telephone call, he dials the toll-free access number which prompts him for the telephone number and security code (which is often a variation). He then enters both numbers and the company connects the call. The long-distance telephone company bills the subscriber monthly for the long-distance calls made during the previous month.
Unfortunately, calling cards are often inconvenient for the user. Due to the large number of digits required for completing the call, it is usually impossible to remember both the toll-free number and the security code. The two numbers may include as many as twenty-four digits. To alleviate this problem, many calling card companies may append a simple four-digit code to the end of the user's telephone number. This practice, however, creates additional security concerns should the card be lost or stolen.